Does your view of God include a stoic, dried-up, tight-fisted Monarch? Or possibly you view God as a jolly, indulgent Papa. In his book Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life, Brian S. Borgman makes the case that neither is right but neither is completely wrong. Borgman states that God is a balance of both: stern and jovial, furious and compassionate, pained and passionate. God is a god of emotions and, as His children we should be, too. He challenges the viewpoint that God and His children should only be people of intellect, and he states that there is a case to be made for godly emotions.
Using personal anecdotes, quotes from modern and past theologians, Scripture, and exposition, Borgman exposes the most common myths concerning emotions, provides a working definition of emotion, walks the reader through a solid theological study of emotions in Scripture, and then demonstrates how to mortify ungodly feelings and cultivate godly emotions in their place. As the founding pastor of Grace Community Church in Minden, NV, and an author with a Doctorate of Ministry, Borgman is credible in his theology and his application.
Borgman makes the case that God, while being unchanging and infallible, possesses a wide-range of emotions. Hebrews 7:26 says, “Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” God is perfect and in His perfect state, there is emotion. We, as His children made in His image, also have emotions, but we are not perfect in them. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil,” reads John 3:19. Man has the capability for godly emotion, but often our emotions bear the stain of sin. Nevertheless, Borgman makes the case that all is not lost. If God commands us to “feel” certain things, He will also provide us the way to bring our emotions under control. Using Jesus as our pattern and the Holy Spirit as our guide, “…God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
This book is not easy to read and will appeal more to pastors, serious theological students, and those who are seeking to bring every aspect of their being to sanctification. With its extensive notes, subject index, Scripture index, bibliography, and biographical bibliography, it is packed full of information and evidence to support the claims of the author and even gives additional material for further study. – Nikki Studebaker Barcus, www. ChristianBookPreviews.com
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
3 of 3 Reviews Showing:
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Mark McKinnon (Reno, NV), July 01, 2009
This is a wonderful book holding the Human Emotions to the Light of God's Word. Our God is a feeling God and he has called upon us to show and feel real emotions. Many today are of the mindset that emotions should take a back seat to our Christianity and yet God calls us to be joyful and... Be Angry, but those emotions we feel are to be in proportion to scripture and need to be God-Honoring. This book is in essence, a road map to "Cultivating Godly Emotions" as the subtitle so aptly portrays. It is a must read for every Christian. Dr. Borgman is a relatively unknown author yet I believe this book is sorely needed in our culture today. It is easy to read and so much grounded in biblical truth, it will do your soul good. This book is what i would call a sleeper that is just waiting explode. Feeling are such a hot topic and need to be addressed in a biblical way. We as Christians need to know that our emotions are OK we just need to know how to deal with them Christ-Like.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Mark McKinnon (Reno, NV), July 01, 2009
This is a wonderful book holding the Human Emotions to the Light of God's Word. Our God is a feeling God and he has called upon us to show and feel real emotions. Many today are of the mindset that emotions should take a back seat to our Christianity and yet God calls us to be joyful and... Be Angry, but those emotions we feel are to be in proportion to scripture and need to be God-Honoring. This book is in essence, a road map to "Cultivating Godly Emotions" as the subtitle so aptly portrays. It is a must read for every Christian. Dr. Borgman is a relatively unknown author yet I believe this book is sorely needed in our culture today. It is easy to read and so much grounded in biblical truth, it will do your soul good. This book is what i would call a sleeper that is just waiting explode. Feeling are such a hot topic and need to be addressed in a biblical way. We as Christians need to know that our emotions are OK we just need to know how to deal with them Christ-Like.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Betty J. Itano (Gardnerville,Nevada), June 27, 2009
Reading Brian Borgman's book
Feelings and Faith was an eye opener for me
because I had always believed that feelings were very deceiving and had no place in biblical Christianity. God revealed to me through Mr. Borgman's teaching that many things we are told in the Bible that God did
were not just his work but how he feels about things. I like that I can know that all my joy and pleasure is to be experienced in that which he finds pleasure in. Himself and his own glory. As a result of reading this book I am experiencing a more fulfilled and joyous freedomin worship.
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